ap Virtual Spring Open House set for April 25 at Penn State York By news.psu.edu Published On :: Thu, 23 Apr 2020 07:49 -0400 It's not too late to register for Virtual Spring Open House at Penn State York. Discover what the campus has to offer and how to become a part of the blue and white. Full Article
ap Uluslararası Kriz Grubu Türkiye'deki PKK çatışmasının insani maliyeti ile ilgili bir rapor yayınladı. By www.crisisgroup.org Published On :: Thu, 17 Mar 2016 17:30:00 GMT Türkiye devleti ile uluslararası alanda terör örgütü olarak kabul edilen PKK arasındaki çözüm sürecinin çökmesi, Temmuz 2015’te çatışmaların yeniden başlaması ve daha sonra derinleşen şiddet sarmalı, yeni bir çözüm sürecinin inşasını hiç olmadığı kadar gerekli kılıyor. Full Article
ap Ohio District in Football Rape Case Adds Guards to Schools By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000 A district added unarmed guards to all schools as national uproar over an alleged rape case involving two football players continues to mount. Full Article Safetyandviolence
ap USA Swimming CEO Offers Apology to Sexual-Abuse Victims By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000 On Friday, USA Swimming CEO Chuck Wielgus offered a formal apology for not doing more to prevent sexual abuse by coaches. Full Article Safetyandviolence
ap Champions League Fantasy: Captain marvel By www.uefa.com Published On :: Thu, 05 Mar 2020 15:00:00 GMT As the round of 16 comes to a conclusion, UEFA.com presents a captaincy option for each of the four gamedays. Full Article general
ap First Look: Apple's Pro Display XDR, Reference-Quality Imagery at a Palatable Price? By www.pcmag.com Published On :: Apple's new $4,999 Pro Display XDR monitor (and its $1,000 stand) may sound mighty expensive on the surface. It has the potential to upend a whole industry, however—it's made to compete with panels five to ten times the price. We have one in-house, and here are our first impressions. Full Article
ap Apple Pro Display XDR By www.pcmag.com Published On :: Apple's Pro Display XDR provides exceptional color accuracy and build quality at a price that's quite competitive with those of reference-grade pro monitors. It's exquisite enough that swallowing the wildly extravagant cost of its Pro Stand is worth it. Full Article
ap EU Officials' Opinion Piece In Chinese Newspaper Censored On Coronavirus Origin By www.npr.org Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 23:31:09 GMT Source: www.npr.org - Thursday, May 07, 2020 The version published in China Daily omitted a reference to the illness originating in China and spreading to the rest of the world. The piece was published in full on the authors' websites. (Image credit: Jason Lee/Reuters)All Related Full Article
ap Canada lost 2 million jobs in April as full brunt of pandemic hit the economy By www.thestar.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 15:50:00 GMT Source: www.thestar.com - Friday, May 08, 2020 The unemployment rate jumped 5.2 points in April to 13 per cent in the first full month of economic restrictions.All Related Full Article
ap FDA Approves CRISPR-Based Coronavirus Test By www.extremetech.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 17:05:42 GMT Source: www.extremetech.com - Friday, May 08, 2020 Public health officials universally agree that the world needs much more coronavirus testing before we can safely ease current lock-down restrictions. Even at the low end, experts say we’ll need to do hundreds of thousands more daily tests, but the equipment and resources to make that happen are in short supply. An MIT spin-off company called Sherlock Biosciences has gotten FDA approval to begin using its CRISPR-based COVID-19 test , which promises to be faster and easy to perform without access to a full lab. Current coronavirus testing is based on PCR (polymerase chain reaction), the same technology used in DNA tests. This involves repeatedly heating the sample to amplify the genetic material so technicians can detect viral RNA. Sequencing those samples to hunt for viral genes requires expensive machines that many facilities don’t have, but the Sherlock method relies on a device similar to a pregnancy test. MIT’s Broad Institute developed Sherlock as a way to identify diseases with the clever addition of a reporter molecule with a DNA segment. Sherlock Biosciences now develops tests with this technology for specific diseases like COVID-19. CRISPR/Cas9 has gained fame as a powerful tool for genetic engineering, but that’s slightly different than the system devised by Sherlock. CRISPR is the sequence that guides Cas9 to the specific genetic code where you want to make a cut (known as cleaving), but scientists can also pair CRISPAll Related Full Article
ap Referee appointed for the 2013 UEFA Champions League final By www.uefa.com Published On :: Mon, 20 May 2013 11:00:00 GMT Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli to officiate at Wembley Full Article media releases
ap Stronger disciplinary regulations approved By www.uefa.com Published On :: Thu, 23 May 2013 13:15:00 GMT 030 - Venues for finals of UEFA 2015 club competitions chosen Full Article media releases
ap Racism resolution approved at UEFA Congress By www.uefa.com Published On :: Fri, 24 May 2013 15:07:00 GMT Gibraltar becomes UEFA’s 54th member association Full Article media releases
ap UEFA Appeals Body bans two Turkish clubs from UEFA competitions By www.uefa.com Published On :: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 16:19:00 GMT 042 - Decisions made after Beşiktaş JK and Fenerbahçe SK appeal initial decision Full Article media releases
ap Referee appointed for UEFA Super Cup in Prague By www.uefa.com Published On :: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 08:35:00 GMT 047 - Swedish official Jonas Eriksson to handle FC Bayern München v Chelsea FC Full Article media releases
ap Government’s approach to coronavirus testing to be examined by Scottish Parliament Committee By www.scottish.parliament.uk Published On :: 2020-05-07 05:45:19 The Scottish Government’s testing strategy during the coronavirus pandemic is to be investigated by the Health and Sport Committee. Full Article
ap Fin24.com | The top return trap By www.fin24.com Published On :: Mon, 24 May 2010 12:05:31 +0200 Using performance tables is not the way to choose funds. Full Article
ap Apple Caving on Hong Kong Shows the Limits of Security as a Sales Tool By www.pcmag.com Published On :: Security expert Max Eddy explains how Apple banning an app used by pro-democracy protesters shows how even the best consumer security polices fail when there's a lack of will to enforce them appropriately. Full Article
ap In 2022, Apple's AR Glasses Will Be Perfectly Timed for 5G By www.pcmag.com Published On :: Apple doesn't release products early; it releases them when supporting technologies are ready. Full Article
ap The Iowa Caucus App Failure Was Inevitable By www.pcmag.com Published On :: The app failed for the same reason that every tech rollout struggles: bugs, user training, and the known unknowns. Full Article
ap The God of India, Singapore and the Middle East By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 19 Jul 2019 15:19:15 +0000 Doron's experience on Logos Hope shows him God's faithfulness and uncovers leadership abilities he is using today in a new role. Full Article
ap Around the College: April 29, 2020 By news.psu.edu Published On :: Wed, 29 Apr 2020 13:46 -0400 Students, staff and faculty members from Penn State's College of Education share recent research and career achievements. Full Article
ap College Announcements: April 29, 2020 By news.psu.edu Published On :: Wed, 29 Apr 2020 13:58 -0400 Keep up with information about various happenings at Penn State, including study volunteer requests, activities and other opportunities. Full Article
ap The God of India, Singapore and the Middle East By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 19 Jul 2019 15:19:15 +0000 Doron's experience on Logos Hope shows him God's faithfulness and uncovers leadership abilities he is using today in a new role. Full Article
ap Et après? (and after?) By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 14 Apr 2016 02:31:36 +0000 Hindsight is, as they say, 20:20. It’s usually easier to see, after the event, what should have been done to prevent it from happening. But whether this is true for the recent tragic events in Paris is a case for argument. Full Article
ap This Wraparound Alexa Speaker Is Eye-Catching But Pricey By www.pcmag.com Published On :: Royole is known for being the first to show off a flexible phone, and at CES 2020, it has an Alexa-based smart speaker with a wraparound touch-screen display and a smart notebook that translates your handwriting into typed text. Full Article
ap Under-17 EURO finals line-up: draw 5 April By www.uefa.com Published On :: Wed, 28 Mar 2018 14:45:00 GMT Holders Spain are among the 15 teams that came through the elite round to join hosts England in May's finals. Full Article general
ap A Process-Based Approach to Responding to Parents or Guardians Who Hope for a Miracle By pediatrics.aappublications.org Published On :: 2020-03-02T01:00:56-08:00 When parents or guardians hope for a miracle for their child who is critically ill, ethical and professional challenges can arise. Often, although not always, the parent or guardian’s hope for a miracle entails a request for continued life-sustaining interventions. Striking a balance between the pediatrician’s conception of good medicine and the parent or guardian’s authority requires a response that is sensitive, practical, and ethically sound. In this article, we recommend 3 cumulative steps that promote such a response. First, we recommend ways of exploring essential issues through open inquiry, interdisciplinary dialogue, and self-reflection. As part of this exploration, pediatricians will discover that parents or guardians often have unique ideas about what a miracle might be for their child. The second step includes analyzing this diversity and seeking understanding. We classify the hope for a miracle into 3 distinct categories: integrated, seeking, and adaptive. After the pediatrician has categorized the parent or guardian’s hope, they can consider specific recommendations. We detail context-specific responses for each kind of hope. By attending to these nuances, not only will the parent or guardian’s perspective be heard but also the pediatrician’s recommendation can strike a balance between advocating for their conception of good medicine and respecting the parent or guardian’s beliefs. Full Article
ap Applying Behavioral Economics to Enhance Safe Firearm Storage By pediatrics.aappublications.org Published On :: 2020-03-02T01:00:56-08:00 Behavioral economics applies key principles from psychology and economics to address obstacles to behavior change. The important topic of pediatric firearm injuries has not yet been explored through a behavioral economic lens. Pediatric firearm-related injuries are a significant public health problem in the United States. Despite American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines advising that firearms be stored unloaded, in a locked box or with a locking device, and separate from ammunition, estimates suggest that ~4.6 million children live in homes with at least 1 loaded and unlocked firearm. In this article, we use behavioral economic theory to identify specific cognitive biases (ie, present bias; in-group, out-group bias; and the availability heuristic) that may influence parental decision-making around firearm storage. We illustrate situations in which these biases may occur and highlight implementation prompts, in-group messengers, and increased salience as behaviorally informed strategies that may counter these biases and subsequently enhance safe firearm storage. We also describe other opportunities to leverage the behavioral economic tool kit. By better understanding the individual behavioral levers that may impact decision-making around firearm storage, behavioral scientists, pediatric providers, and public health practitioners can partner to design and test tailored interventions aimed at decreasing pediatric firearm injuries. Further empirical study is warranted to identify the presence of specific biases and heuristics and determine the most effective behavior change strategies for different subpopulations. Full Article
ap A Centralized Approach for Practicing Genomic Medicine By pediatrics.aappublications.org Published On :: 2020-03-02T01:00:55-08:00 Next-generation sequencing has revolutionized the diagnostic process, making broadscale testing affordable and applicable to almost all specialties; however, there remain several challenges in its widespread implementation. Barriers such as lack of infrastructure or expertise within local health systems and complex result interpretation or counseling make it harder for frontline clinicians to incorporate genomic testing in their existing workflow. The general population is more informed and interested in pursuing genetic testing, and this has been coupled with the increasing accessibility of direct-to-consumer testing. As a result of these changes, primary care physicians and nongenetics specialty providers find themselves seeing patients for whom genetic testing would be beneficial but managing genetic test results that are out of their scope of practice. In this report, we present a practical and centralized approach to providing genomic services through an independent, enterprise-wide clinical service model. We present 4 years of clinical experience, with >3400 referrals, toward designing and implementing the clinical service, maximizing resources, identifying barriers, and improving patient care. We provide a framework that can be implemented at other institutions to support and integrate genomic services across the enterprise. Full Article
ap Supercapacitor promises storage, high power and fast charging By news.psu.edu Published On :: Mon, 04 May 2020 15:14 -0400 A new supercapacitor based on manganese oxide could combine the storage capacity of batteries with the high power and fast charging of other supercapacitors, according to researchers at Penn State and two universities in China. Full Article
ap Senior engineering students modify capstones into virtual experience By news.psu.edu Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 09:54 -0400 After months of hard work and preparation, nearly a dozen Penn State Hazleton seniors are now one step closer to graduating after presenting their Capstone Research and Design Thesis projects. Full Article
ap More NCLB Waiver States Get Federal Approval for Teacher Evaluations By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0000 The U.S. Department of Education continues to quietly approve and negotiate over states' teacher-evaluation systems as part of its No Child Left Behind Act waiver process. Full Article Nochildleftbehind
ap Terminal T1 approval for use granted By www.berlin-airport.de Published On :: Wed, 29 Apr 2020 13:00:00 +0200 The Dahme-Spreewald administrative district’s local building inspection authority confirmed the completion of Terminal T1 at BER on 28 April following the completion of the construction work. Full Article
ap Cheap AirPod Alternatives: The Best True Wireless Earbuds Under $130 By www.pcmag.com Published On :: You don't need to spend a lot of money for a good pair of true wireless earphones. In fact, you can spend as little as $50. Full Article
ap Aid workers kidnapped in Iraq released By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 27 Mar 2020 11:19:00 -0600 CNA Staff, Mar 27, 2020 / 11:19 am (CNA).- Four men working in Iraq for the French humanitarian organization SOS Chrétiens d'Orient who went missing in Baghdad in January have been released by their kidnappers, the French president announced Thursday. Emmanuel Macron announced March 26 that he “welcomes the release of our three nationals Antoine Brochon, Julien Dittmar, Alexandre Goodarzy and Iraqi Tariq Mattoka.” The men disappeared Jan. 20 after they made a trip to an appointment by car. SOS Chrétiens d'Orient tried to contact them the following day, unsuccessfully. The missing employees had gone to Baghdad “to renew their visas and the registration of association with the Iraqi authorities and to monitor the association's operations” in the country. Macron's office said it had made “every effort” to secure their release, and he expressed “gratitude to the Iraqi authorities for their co-operation.” SOS Chrétiens d'Orient said last week that they had received no ransom demand, and no group had claimed responsibility for the abduction. The organization works to support Eastern Christians with humanitarian material aid; it has permanent missions in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Egypt. Christians in Iraq have suffered persecution in recent years, especially during the invasion of the Islamic State. Prior to the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003, there were about 1.5 million Iraqi Christians. Today, that number is believed to be fewer than 500,000. Full Article Middle East - Africa
ap Yeast as a Metaphor: Élisabeth and Félix Leseur By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 05 Oct 2016 00:00:00 -0600 By Sr. Joan L. Roccasalvo, C.S.J.It’s a wonderful phenomenon—yeast. It permeates lifeless flour and causes it to rise and expand. The power of yeast effects the brewing of beer and the making of wine. The yeast plant is a fungus that grows without limits to its borders. Only if yeast is alive and active will it interact with the dough. On her TV program, “Martha Bakes,” the talented Ms. Stewart cannot contain her delight when she makes yeast dough: “Look at the sheen—so soft and shiny! The aroma is “bee-you-tee-ful,” and the fragrance gratifies all the senses!” Follow these instructions: proof active yeast, blend it into the flour mixture, and let it rise to double the size. From yeast dough come baked goods such as breads, sticky buns and sugar buns, and monkey bread. “Soo pretty, soo delicious,” Ms. Stewart swoons over her culinary works of art. Yeast as a Metaphor In the Matthean parable (13:33), the reign of God is like yeast that a woman took and kneaded into three measures of flour. Eventually the entire mass of dough began to rise. The image of yeast was a favorite in the Early Church. Everyone understood the inner power of yeast with its limitless ability to make things grow, even in small beginnings with “three measures of flour.” They grasped the comparison. The yeast referred to the Church as an unlimited and growing reality, “destined ultimately to be present everywhere and to affect everything, though by no means to convert everything into itself” (Walter J. Ong, “Yeast: A Parable for Catholic Higher Education,” America Magazine, April 7, 1990). The Church is catholic because it has always been expanding into new and shiny ‘dough’ without limit. Katholicos, from kata or kath and holos, means “through-the-whole or “throughout-the-whole.” The Laity: Worldly and Yet Unworldly The laity are catholic, yeast in business and finance, entertainment, nursing and medicine, arts and science, law and law enforcement, politics, and sports. They are the inner power with its limitless ability to make things grow, even in small ways. The laity find their holiness in the world with its financial concerns and family responsibilities. Those who marry and have children become not just a family but also the Domestic Church. In 1987, the Catholic Church held a World Synod on the Laity, one of many, beginning with Vatican II in the 1960s. According to the synod’s final document, the laity are equal with clergy and consecrated religious in the life and mission of the Church. The call to holiness of the laity differs from the vocation of consecrated religious. The laity are to be in the world in an unworldly way. They approach life with wisdom that teaches the limited and relative value of material things. This would seem to be a contradiction in terms. How to be worldly and unworldly at the same time? It cannot be easy, for at times, the challenges seem insurmountable. Yet, it remains for the lay vocation to find a theology of being present in the world. It is a practical spirituality of the family and the workplace. For the laity, this is where holiness resides.* Holiness of the Laity The holiness of the laity began with Jesus himself. He was a rabbi and teacher, as were his disciples. Peter was a married man, and for all we know, so were the other apostles, the exception being John, the Beloved Disciple. St. Paul addresses and refers to those he evangelized as ‘saints,’ meaning that they were on their way to becoming saints. In the Early Church, there were no consecrated institutes of men and women. All Christians grasped the importance of living as disciples and ambassadors of the Lord. As increasing numbers of Christians came to view the world as wicked, they flocked to the desert to live alone. When the desert grew so overcrowded with these solitaries, they came together and formed religious communities. Thus, the start of monastic orders of men and women. Prayer Consecrated men and women, and especially those who live in cloisters, spend several hours a day in prayer. This is not the way of the laity. Their days focus almost entirely on family and the means of supporting it. Their prayer is measured not in hours but in minutes—two here, five there, perhaps a Holy Hour or Retreat Day on rare occasions. The conciliar document on the sacred liturgy encourages Catholic families to pray portions of the Liturgy of the Hours (#102-111). The Hours are not private or devotional prayer but the prayer of the entire Church, the Church at prayer. Praying the psalms nourishes Catholic family life whose welfare is daily beset with conflicting external forces. If prayer is the underlying power of strong family life, then parents can find ways to incorporate parts of the Hours into their daily schedule. In prayer, married couples derive the strength of God’s grace to live their married vocation. As children mature, they too must learn to travel the road to discipleship in the Lord. Small children can be taught to pray a psalm or two at bed time. If this is not feasible during the week, then prayer on weekend is an alternate possibility. A minimal and external Christianity will not fortify today’s Domestic Church but only a vibrant Christianity in which Christ is a living reality. It takes a few minutes to pray short sections of the Hours, even on public transit. It is a consoling thought to recall that “in him, we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). At Pre-Cana instructions, couples can learn the practice of making the Hours an integral part of their married life. Can Yeast Corrupt? The image of yeast is not always positive. In First Corinthians 5:6-8, St. Paul mentions what all Jews understood. At the Paschal festival time, they were to destroy all yeasted products because leaven was a metaphor for the corruptive influence of evil, for puffing up the self, leaving no room for God. Proofing the yeast in warm water will yield bubbles around the surface, and the yeast will become puffed up if it does not interact with the flour dough. The puffed up yeast will die. In this sense, neither the laity, nor any minister in the Church, can afford to be puffed up with pride. Élisabeth Leseur (1866-1914) and Félix Leseur (1861-1950) The story of Élisabeth Arrighi Leseur exemplifies the limitless power of marital love. Élisabeth was born into a wealthy French Catholic family of Corsican descent. As a child, she had contracted hepatitis, a disease from which she suffered all her life. At twenty-one, she met Félix Leseur, a medical doctor, who also came from an affluent Catholic family. Shortly before they were to be married, Élisabeth discovered that Félix was no longer a practicing Catholic. Soon he became well known as the editor of an anti-clerical, atheistic newspaper. Despite the circumstances, the couple married, for Élisabeth was deeply in love with Félix. They were unable to have children, a fact that made their marriage all the more difficult. His attack on her religious devotion prompted an even more serious fidelity to the faith. She bore the brunt of his hatred of the Church with patient love. At thirty-two years of age, Élisabeth experienced the grace to a deeper form of prayer. She was convinced that her task now was to love her husband and pray for his conversion while remaining steadfast during his taunts against religion, and the Church in particular. Homebound and Bed-Ridden Élisabeth’s deteriorating health forced her to lead a sedentary life. She received visitors and was able to conduct a vibrant apostolate from the confines of her home. She became a devotee of St. Francis de Sales who wrote for the layperson in the seventeenth century. His Introduction to the Devout Life, perhaps the most famous spiritual guide of all time, is an offshoot of the Ignatian Exercises. During this period, Élisabeth kept a secret spiritual diary. When, at the age of forty-five, Élisabeth underwent surgery and radiation for the removal of a malignant tumor, she recovered and continued to receive visitors to her home. Three years later, she succumbed to cancer. Her life has been recommended for sainthood. Why? We turn the page to continue the narrative of her husband. Dr. Félix Leseur After Élisabeth’s death, Félix found a note addressed to him. Not only did it predict his conversion, but he would also become a Dominican priest. His hatred of the Church prompted him to expose her note as a fake, and he decided to do so at Lourdes, the famous Marian shrine in France. There, something prevented him from carrying out his intended project—call it God’s intervening grace. As Élisabeth had predicted, he experienced a conversion and published her spiritual journal. In 1919, Félix entered the Dominican Order, was ordained a priest four years later, and spent his remaining years speaking about his wife’s difficult yet remarkable life with him. In 1924, the future Archibishop Fulton J. Sheen made a retreat under Fr. Leseur’s direction. It was at this time that he learned of Élisabeth’s life and her husband’s conversion. In 1934, Fr. Leseur, O.P. worked to begin the cause for her canonization, and the Archbishop shared the story of this remarkable married couple in many presentations. Élisabeth is currently a Servant of God, the first step in the cause for sainthood. Élisabeth Leseur’s suffering was not wasted. On the contrary, her lifelong devotion to Félix was central to his conversion. She became the yeast that permeated the lifeless soul of her husband. It forever transformed his life so that he could affect change in the lives of others. Love begets love. *The Ignatian “Prayer for Finding God in All Things” by Joan L. Roccasalvo, C.S.J. can help the busy person find God throughout the day. Copies are available from the Institute of Jesuit Sources, Boston, MA. Full Article CNA Columns: The Way of Beauty
ap MediaTek Announces Chips for Cheaper 5G Sprint Phones By www.pcmag.com Published On :: MediaTek announces a competitor to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 765 for sub-$500 5G phones, but its success in the US will depend on whether carriers are okay with dropping millimeter-wave support. Full Article
ap Gender Gaps Alter Benefits of Extracurricular Activities, Study Finds By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 09 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000 A new study finds that extracurricular activities have differing positive effects for rural boys compared to girls. Full Article Ruraleducation
ap Principal-Prep Programs Adapting to Meet Real-World Demands of Job, Study Finds By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 31 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 Seven universities are making major changes to how they train future principals, as part of $48.5 million Wallace Foundation initiative to redesign university-based principal-preparation programs, according to a new report from RAND. Full Article Ruraleducation
ap The God of India, Singapore and the Middle East By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 19 Jul 2019 15:19:15 +0000 Doron's experience on Logos Hope shows him God's faithfulness and uncovers leadership abilities he is using today in a new role. Full Article
ap Wintrust Financial Corporation to Present at RBC Capital Markets Global Financial Institutions Conference on March 10, 2020 By ir.wintrust.com Published On :: Thu, 27 Feb 2020 23:49:00 GMT To view more press releases, please visit http://ir.wintrust.com/news.aspx?iid=1024452. Full Article
ap Wintrust Financial Corporation to Make Loans to Approximately 8,900 Small Businesses Through the Paycheck Protection Program By ir.wintrust.com Published On :: Fri, 17 Apr 2020 22:27:00 GMT To view more press releases, please visit http://ir.wintrust.com/news.aspx?iid=1024452. Full Article
ap Fin24.com | INFOGRAPHIC: How junk status will affect you By www.fin24.com Published On :: Wed, 05 Apr 2017 11:59:53 +0200 With SA bonds now rated as junk or non-investment grade, life for ordinary South Africans just got worse. Full Article
ap Fin24.com | WATCH: Three ministers who may not survive a Ramaphosa reshuffle By www.fin24.com Published On :: Sat, 17 Feb 2018 00:43:24 +0200 With Ramaphosa sworn in as president, the SA public will be watching closely to see if, and when, he reshuffles Jacob Zuma's last Cabinet. Full Article
ap The collapse of our country: the antidote By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 16 Jan 2019 00:00:00 -0700 By Bishop Arthur SerratelliBeneath the soil of every continent lie buried the ruins of fallen civilizations. The Sumerians, Akkadians, Mayans, Assyrians, Babylonians, Minoans, Romans: all of them, faded memories of past grandeur and glory. History records the collapse of at least thirty-two major civilizations that once thrived and prospered before our time. No great civilization is built in a day. No great civilization disappears in a single instant. Historians try to explain how these civilizations once so great have slowly vanished into the dustbin of history. Weather, economics, population decline, wars, politics are some of the reasons that they offer. But, ultimately, a civilization disappears when it loses its identity, forfeits its unity and jettisons its commitment to the common good. Today’s relentless front-page news reports of scandal and sin (many times, stale news served up as current), the incessant discord of our politicians, the unending string of acrimonious tweets, and the rage of angry voices make one wonder whether or not we are facing the decline of our own civilization. Has our unity as a nation become so fragmented that it cannot be repaired? The TV sitcoms, the talk shows, the din of warring cable news channels do little to promote serious discourse. Rather, they seem at times to make us despair of receiving unbiased reporting. They hardly inspire us to respond to the gospel’s clarion call for truth, justice, compassion and charity. Have we lost our commitment to the common good? Are we in the midst of an unstoppable decline of our nation? Some say this is the age of tolerance. As a result, good and evil, right and wrong, vice and virtue, truth and error are accepted as equally valid. But, this is not the age of tolerance. Those who are pro-life are marginalized. Those who cherish and protect the life of the child waiting-to-be-born, the elderly and the terminally ill are branded as bigots, unwilling to show compassion to those suffering. Those who accept the sanctity of marriage and human sexuality as designed by the Creator are vilified. We live at a time when some are not only intolerant to our basic Christian values, but are actively engaged to silence Christians, target the Church and reduce her to ruins. In an age of relativism, has it become almost impossible to dialogue rationally on the major issues that face us, such as poverty, migration, and the sanctity of life itself ? “Relativism is the order of the day. Good and evil, right and wrong, innocence and guilt – all these binaries are deliberately confused as antipodal extremes are brought into artificial congruence. Moral clarity is muddled and logical cogency diluted. All inherent preference is suspended out of a misguided attempt to achieve balance where there is none” (Brandon Marlon, “The Decline and Fall of Modern Civilization: 8 Simple Steps to Squandering It All,” The Algemeiner, January 22, 2015). From the Church, we receive a rich heritage of truth, morality and charity. We have solid and clear moral principles given to us by Jesus. These are the solid building blocks with which to construct a just and peaceful society. Could it be that we ourselves are slowly abandoning these principles? How is it possible that those trained in the Catholic faith assume leadership roles in government and then jettison their Catholic morals? How is it that any one of us can remain complacent to the slow moral deterioration of our country? Our country will not collapse if we refuse to hand over our future to those who deny the existence of God and live as if this world is all that there is. Our society will not collapse if we are courageous enough to draw on our moral and spiritual heritage to solve the issues that divide us. Our nation will not collapse if we remain true to our identity given to us by our Founding Fathers as a nation founded on Judeo-Christian principles. Our courage as moral individuals to stand for justice, truth and compassion is the antidote to the collapse of our country. Full Article CNA Columns: From the Bishops
ap The needed antidote to apathy By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 17 Apr 2019 00:00:00 -0600 By Bishop Arthur SerratelliIn February 1915, only six months after the beginning of World War I, Lancet, a British medical journal, used for the first time the expression “shell shock.” This newly coined expression was used to describe the feeling of helplessness that soldiers felt after exposure to constant bombardment. The term was new, but not the reality. After every war, soldiers return from combat, suffering “shell shock.” Watching their comrades mowed down by enemy fire or left maimed and strewn on the battlefield, combatants become immune to feelings of connectedness and concern. Today, this phenomenon is becoming an epidemic. We are constantly being bombarded by bad news. The catastrophic and inhumane events that interrupt our everyday life are causing many people to escape from the brutality by becoming shell shocked. Terrorist attacks in Belgium, Syria, Africa, and in England; daily violence on the streets of Chicago, New York, Paterson; the massacre of our children in their schools and of believers in their churches, synagogues and mosques; the interminable disputes and rancor over immigration; allegations of racism and sexism; the incessant reporting of scandals, present and past! Moment by moment these evils confront us. So fast does news travel that one story stumbles over the other with images of the dead, the wounded, the homeless imprinted on our minds. These problems do not admit of simple solutions. And, since we are more aware of them today than in the past and yet less able to find solutions, many, left numb and disillusioned, drift into apathy. In addition, newspapers, blogs and TV commentaries flash before us cause after cause, such as global poverty and climate change. “Every cause seems urgent, but nobody has the time, the energy, or the information necessary to make an impact. Knowing all the ways in which the world is flawed in a very real, raw, up-close kind of way without the ability to make any sort of important change is perhaps the most unwelcome symptom of the digital age” (Jamie Varon, “Generation apathy: How internet outrage is making us all numb and hopeless,” August 20, 2015). Some Christians have drunk the hemlock of apathy. They are becoming more and more indifferent to evil in the world and, sadly, more and more detached from religion. Unconnected. Not invested. Religion may be good; but, when it comes to God, they have hung up a “Do Not Disturb Sign.” For them, weddings, funerals, First Communions, Confirmations, if even celebrated, are mostly social occasions. Apathy within the Church is far more devastating than outside the Church. The Church is the sign and sacrament of salvation for the world. It is an instrument in God’s hands. But if the instrument is dull and listless, it hinders God’s activity. When people become apathetic, something more is needed than telling them to be kind and compassionate. Such preaching falls on deaf ears and hardened hearts. What is needed today is the bold proclamation of the kerygma, that is, the love of God given us in the death and resurrection of Jesus. God is not apathetic. He is intensely passionate about his relationship with us and his world. He is the lover who pursues his beloved. He never gives up on us, despite our sins. He woos us back to himself (cf. Hosea 2:11). He did not turn his back on the evil of our world, but sent his Son to be our Redeemer. “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son” (Jn 3:16). In the death and resurrection of Jesus, God’s love is a fact. In Jesus, God has begun the work of forgiving sins and recreating the world. And, he gifts us with the Holy Spirit so that, together with him, we make all things new. We are not helpless. We are not alone. Apathy makes people murmur a half-silent “No” to the world in which we live. But, faith in Jesus Crucified and Risen makes us shout a resounding “Yes” to God’s work of the New Creation. Faith is the antidote to apathy. Full Article CNA Columns: From the Bishops
ap The God of India, Singapore and the Middle East By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 19 Jul 2019 15:19:15 +0000 Doron's experience on Logos Hope shows him God's faithfulness and uncovers leadership abilities he is using today in a new role. Full Article
ap Fin24.com | Somerset West among the Western Cape's fastest-growing property hotspots By www.fin24.com Published On :: Sat, 14 Dec 2019 15:03:16 +0200 Somerset West stands out as one of the fastest growing property areas – commercial, residential and industrial - in the Western Cape, according to a new report on the state of the property sector in the Western Cape. Full Article
ap Fin24.com | All 3 property sectors now a buyers’ market in Western Cape - minister By www.fin24.com Published On :: Sun, 15 Dec 2019 13:15:32 +0200 All three property sectors – residential, commercial and industrial – are currently experiencing a so-called buyers’ market in the Western Cape, says David Maynier, Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities. Full Article